Japanese streamer Airi Sato was fatally stabbed, allegedly by a disgruntled follower, while she livestreamed Tuesday from a street in Tokyo, according to reports.
Per The New York Times, 42-year-old Kenji Takano has been arrested in connection with the death of 22-year-old Airi Sato.
Sato's WhoWatch stream went dark during the attack, with commenters in the chat asking what happened and pleading for someone to help her. Takano has admitted to the attack but told police that he did not intend to kill Sato, who died at a nearby hospital.
Police said that Takano used a knife to stab Sato, who had approximately 2,600 followers, in the head, neck, and torso, as she streamed from the Takadanobaba neighborhood in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo. The attack has been described as a targeted stabbing by police, who said that Takano was a disgruntled follower of Sato's streams.
According to The Japan Times, Takano sent Sato as much as ¥2 million ($13,520) in 2022 to help cover her living expenses. In January 2024, he told authorities that she had not returned the money he lent her.
"She continued to not repay me, so I decided to attack," he told investigators. He reportedly traveled from Oyama, more than 50 miles from Tokyo, to ambush Sato when he learned she was planning a livestream for Tuesday.
A similar targeted murder took place in South Korea last year when YouTuber Joddoltv was fatally stabbed by a rival streamer during a livestream of his commute to a court hearing.